Piper
by Romantic-Dreamer1995
Summary: Prince Piper has just watched his younger sister, Princess Fiona, leave their home for the dragon's keep. He doesn't know when or if he'll see her again. Until the day Piper makes a deal with Rumplestiltskin. And puts a twist, in his story.
1. Chapter 1

Prince Piper watched from the steps of the castle in Far Far Away as his younger sister, Fiona, only ten-years-old, was swept away out the gates; bound for the dragon's keep until she found true love's kiss. He turned to his mother at his side and lifted his silver and ebony flute, running his tongue across dry lips before playing out the question that swam through his head like a school of wayward fish. "Will we ever see Fiona again, Mother?"

Fiona was Piper's younger sister by almost eight years, and she'd also been a miracle for the royal family. After Piper had been born and declared mute, his parents had been told that more children were impossible. Piper, being a young child, had wished on a star every night for a brother or sister. Finally, two months before Piper's eighth birthday, his parents had declared that they were giving him a sibling. But by then, he'd given up the notion, and resigned himself to being an only child.

His mother, Queen Lillian, turned to look at her only son and released a regal sigh, "I don't know, Piper. The curse on Fiona is a powerful one. And only true love's kiss will break it. But we must be optimistic."

Piper thought about his next words carefully. He inhaled, and then said through the flute, "Is there nothing we can do to help her?"

His father, Harold, standing to his left, touched his shoulder. "We've tried, Piper. But Fairy Godmother was very specific that only true love's kiss was the answer."

Lillian looked at him pointedly. "You understand. Don't you?"

Piper looked down at his flute, unable to agree. Also unable to disagree. He knew his parents required an answer. But he didn't have one. So, he did the only thing he could do. He ran down the steps of the castle, and toward the garden, his cloak fluttering in the breeze. He raced through the garden, past the gap in the hedges he'd made years ago that led off the castle grounds, across the hidden wood bridge he and Fiona had made across the thinnest part of the moat when they were children, and to the forest.

Piper fought sadness and tears the whole way to the secret hideout he shared with his little sister. Correction, the secret hideout he used to share with his little sister. Fiona was gone. And the few friends he had were the servant's children. Hardly suitable for a prince. And he couldn't make friends with any of the villagers.

Apparently, the king and queen didn't believe that he could take care of himself.

Piper couldn't tell his parents how wrong they were. He had a flute that could bend people and animals to his will. If he chose to. And Fiona could turn into a vicious ogre at nighttime. Sure not a twenty-four-hour ability. But, still effective. But their parents still coddled them like infants.

Piper stopped in the middle of a familiar patch of trees and turned to the third tree on the right. The one with the ladder of knots in the trunk. He separated his flute, still clutched in his hand, and slipped the pieces into his belt, at his hips, then started to climb the trunk of the tree.

He reached the wide ledge shaped section of tree trunk hidden by branches and pulled himself over the edge. Grateful for the branches hiding the ledge, Piper drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his hands around his ankles. He rested his chin on his knees and focused on a green leaf in front of his face as he unconsciously fiddled the round piece of hammered silver suspended from a chain around his neck. Fiona had proudly given him the necklace the day before, saying that it was something to remember his little sister by. "It's for your birthday, Piper!" She'd been too proud and excited to let him speak. "Do you like it? Do you? Do you?"

Piper had answered with his usual smile and hug. Then they'd played princesses and dragons, her favorite game, for the rest of the day. Piper, who was always the dragon, had let Fiona, the princess, escape every time, just as he always did. After the twentieth game, Fiona had gotten tired and fallen asleep, and Piper had tucked his little sister into her bed for the last time.

Am I ever going to see my sister again? Piper thought, turning his attention to the piece of silver around his neck. If Fiona could only know how much the simple piece of metal meant to him. But, Piper was a mute, so he couldn't voice his gratitude. But if he had been able to talk, he would probably have been speechless. It was a catch twenty-two. Piper pulled the two halves of his flute from his belt and clicked the pieces together, intending to play his sadness away. Licking his lips, Piper was about to raise the mouthpiece, when he heard the clip-clop of horse's hooves below him. He lowered the flute and crawled to the edge of the ledge, silently pushing one of the branches out of the way, glad that he was too high for anyone to see him.

Looking down at the road, he watched as a group of a dozen knights appeared, one man on horseback, leading Piper's saddled horse. As he watched, the only knight on horseback held up a hand, halting the group, "Search the area. We have to find the prince."

Piper swallowed, not really wanting to leave the safety of his hideout, but unable to defy his parents. The only reason a group this large of knights would come looking for him would be if he was desperately needed at home. He reluctantly separated the two halves of his flute and returned them to his belt, then pushed back the branches and carefully began the descent from the ledge to the ground.

He leaped the last few feet to the ground and turned to the group of knights. "Ah, Your Highness." The man on horseback said.

Piper nodded to the armored man.

"Your parents request your presence in the castle library." The man indicated Piper's horse. "Posthaste."

Piper nodded again, walking reluctantly to his massive, black Clydesdale stallion, Arco. He pulled himself into Arco's saddle and took the reins that the knight tossed over the horse's head to him. He dug his heels into his horse's ribs, clicked his tongue, and leaned over Arco's shoulders as they tore down the road, Piper's cloak catching the wind. Arco's large, white-feathered hooves dug up clumps of dirt and stones as his long-legged stride ate up the road back to the castle.

Any other day, Piper would have enjoyed riding his horse; but not today. Why? Because Fiona wasn't around to ride her own horse with him. Penelope would probably never be ridden again. Piper took the road out of the forest toward the castle gates. He directed Arco through the castle courtyard to the stables and pulled him to a stop. Swinging his leg over Arco's hindquarters, Piper slid to the ground and handed his reins to a waiting stableboy. With a nod to the boy, he turned on his heel and walked out of the stables in the direction of the castle steps.

As he walked into the castle, a servant waited to take his cloak.

Piper didn't stop walking as he released the jeweled clasp at his throat, holding his cloak around his shoulders. The heavy wool fell into the servant's hands and the man bowed then turned and walked briskly away.

Strolling through the halls of the castle, Piper stopped at the door of the library and hesitated. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and pushed open the wide door. Piper pulled the two pieces of his flute from his belt with a possibly unnecessary flourish and clicked them together. He looked around for his parents, spotting them by the fireplace, their heads together. Raising his flute to his lips, he inhaled and announced himself: "Mother, father."

His father looked up first. "Ah, there you are, son. We have news for you."

He sucked in a deep breath, "What news? Have you reconsidered and are bringing Fiona home?"

Lillian shook her head. "No, dear. Fiona isn't coming home."

Now Piper was nervous. He thought about his next question carefully. "Then what's the news?"

Lillian smiled. "I believe you're aware that your eighteenth birthday is in three days?"

Piper nodded.

"Well, a man's eighteenth birthday is the most important birthday of them all. So, we've decided to hold a royal ball in honor of the occasion."Piper's father said proudly.

Piper licked his lips and replied through the flute, "Alright." Something pulled at his mind, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

Harold stood. "You're one step closer to ruling Far Far Away, my boy"

There it was. Piper's parents were holding this ball to help prepare him to rule Far Far Away. Piper kept a smile on his face. He wet his lips and played his next sentence carefully. "I can't rule, father. I'm not ready."

Harold walked up to stand in front of Piper. "You will be, my son."

Piper sighed, then nodded in defeat.

His father patted his shoulder. "We'll continue this discussion at dinner."

Piper forced a smile, then turned and ordered his feet to walk steadily out of the library, through the deserted castle halls, and up the stairs to his bedroom. He gave up the pretense of a calm and collected prince as soon as he closed the door to the privacy of his own room. He raised his flute and played out his sadness, anguish, and frustration until he couldn't see through the tears and his lungs burned from the exertion.

He'd had two things taken away from him today. His little sister, possibly forever. And his freedom was about to be taken away. Then again, he was the prince of Far Far Away. He'd never had complete freedom. Having his every move observed.

Piper lowered his flute from his mouth and brushed the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He trudged across the room to stand in front of the mirror mounted on the wall above the low bureau. Setting his flute gently on the smooth, polished wood surface, Piper stared at his reflection in the mirror.

Was this the face of a king?

Right now it was the face of a distraught teenager who'd just lost his only sibling. And who was about to have the weight of an entire kingdom placed on his shoulders.

As Piper pulled his hat off of his head and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair in frustration, he thought about forsaking his duty and abdicating the throne. Running away from the kingdom. The crown. The obligation. His parents.

He looked down at his flute, the silver glinting at him in the rays of sunlight reaching in through the open balcony doors to his right. Would his life have been different if he hadn't been born a prince? Piper shook his head and set his hat next to his flute, turning away and walking through the open balcony doors to the railing. He rested his elbows on the carved wood and hunched forward, looking down at the trees below.

His bedroom faced the back of the castle and the woods, which, in Piper's opinion, was much better than the other hundred and ninety-nine bedrooms in the castle. Near Piper's balcony was a road, and every once in a while, he would stand on his balcony and there would be a traveler on the road. And on nights he couldn't sleep, he would come out on his balcony with his flute and play until he fell asleep. And even then he'd see the occasional traveler. As the day when Fiona would leave loomed closer, Piper had found that there were more and more nights that he couldn't sleep. And more and more nights that he'd come out on the balcony with his flute.

Piper looked down at the road below him and felt a longing to go for a horseback ride as he saw a cloaked rider canter down the road. He followed the rider with his eyes, then dismissed them from his mind when they disappeared into the trees. Piper turned and walked back into his bedroom and moved to stand in front of the fireplace, staring into the crackling flames, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He was far too restless. Looking at the clock, Piper saw that it was only two in the afternoon. Fiona had left an hour ago. And dinner was at seven. There was more than enough time to sneak Arco out of the stables and go for a ride. And if he got caught, well, he had an enchanted flute. He could bend the guards to his will. If he chose.

He was going for a ride. Mind made up, Piper turned and walked purposefully to the bureau and separated his flute, slipped the pieces in his belt, then looked around for his cloak. He found the garment draped over a chair and wrapped the heavy material around his shoulders, snapping the clasp into place at his throat.

He strode out of his bedroom and closed the door silently behind him. Then took the halls that would lead him to the gardens, out of the gardens, and to the stables. He grabbed Arco's bridle and saddle and as avoided the stableboys as he prepared his horse. Piper led Arco out of the stable and hauled himself up into the saddle. Clicking his tongue, Piper dug his heels into Arco's ribs and jolted as the horse shot forward into a freeing sprint.

Just as they'd done on the ride in, Arco's shoes clattered on the cobblestones, and Piper prayed that no one would hear the noise and look out a window. He turned Arco into the courtyard and saw the castle gate and pushed Arco faster with his heels, wanting to get past before anyone could stop them. They were almost to the gate when a cry went out behind them. "The prince is leaving without a guard! Close the gate!"

No! Piper yelled in his mind. The gate began to lower, and Piper pushed Arco even faster. Arco snorted and seemed to spread wings. Just as they were going under the gate, Piper had to duck or risk losing his head. But they were outside of the castle. And Piper released a sigh as he looked back.

Were his parents really that obsessive? It would seem so. If they would call for the gate to be closed on him to keep him from leaving the castle without a guard. Then again, he had left the castle unguarded once today. Either way, he didn't care, he was outside of the confining castle. Now he just had to get out of the town. He pulled his hood over his head and rode toward the other end of town.

Something scared Arco, and Arco reared, unseating Piper. He fell from Arco's back and was on his feet in an instant. He lifted his arms and tried to grab his horse's reins and reach Arco's head to calm him. But Arco was too scared by whatever it was to calm down.

So, Piper pulled out the pieces of his flute, clicked them together, wet his lips, and began to play the soothing melody that he knew would calm Arco down. Piper didn't need to bend Arco to his will. He just needed to calm him down.

A few strains of the song and Arco's rearing and whinnying ceased, and he dipped his head in a bow to Piper. Arco's rearing and whinnying had drawn a crowd. And Piper's music had caused whispering. But Piper didn't notice. His full attention was on his horse, and calming him down.

Piper finished the song and lowered his flute, separated the two halves, and returned them to his belt. He walked up to a now quiet Arco and patted his neck. I think that's enough adventure for one day. He said in his mind. He turned to the crowd, who stood around in wonderment. He looked at them all with a puzzled face. Then, he realized why they were all staring at him, his hood had fallen down when he'd been thrown off of Arco's back.

"Prince Piper." A brave young boy stepped forward and bowed.

"Forgive me, Your Highness." Another person said, "Why are you in town?"

Piper looked around at all of the puzzled faces. It seemed the villagers didn't want to see him. He tossed the reins over Arco's head and stepped to his horse's side. He climbed onto Arco's back and steered his horse in the direction of the castle. The crowd parted and he kicked Arco into a run, tearing through the streets of Far Far Away.

He didn't slow his horse until he was at the gate.


	2. Chapter 2

Piper slipped through the door to his bedroom and heaved a relaxed sigh. He'd made it back to the privacy of his room and avoided as many people as he could. He unclasped his cloak and pulled the wool from his shoulders, draping it over the back of the chair in front of the fireplace. Piper walked around to the front of the chair and pulled the halves of his flute from his belt, then sat down heavily.

He clicked the pieces of his flute together and licked his dry lips, about to play, when the door opened and his parents marched in.

"Piper!" His father yelled, his face contorted in anger. "What were you thinking? Leaving the castle without an escort!"

Piper sighed, knowing he was really in trouble, and stood, answering through his flute. "I want my freedom, Father."

His parents' faces remained stony. "Piper! You're the prince! You cannot go running off! Who knows what could have happened!" Lillian, who was usually calm and collected, said furiously.

Piper didn't want to know what they would do if he responded the wrong way. So he kept his flute silent. In his mind, he was yelling right back at them. I'm not a child anymore! You can't keep me locked behind the walls of this castle forever! I'm an adult! I don't care if I'm the prince!

He clutched his flute in white-knuckled hands, desperately wanting to tell his parents what he was thinking, but not wanting to anger them further.

"Piper, you are banned from riding your horse. Or any horse. Until we say otherwise." Harold said in a voice that left no room for argument.

Piper nodded reluctantly. At least Arco wasn't being sent away. His parents turned and left his room, and Piper was left alone. He looked down at his flute and walked to the bureau, laying the instrument on the smooth wood.

Turning, Piper trudged to the fireplace and placed his hand on the mantle, once again looking intently into the ever-changing flames. He thought about all that had happened that day. The royal ball for his birthday, the news that his parents would be preparing him to rule Far Far Away, losing his sister, losing Arco.

Would it never end?

* * *

Piper had moved from the fireplace to a chair, a book in his hands when the right chime of the clock pulled him from the story. He closed the book, setting the leather covered volume on the floor next to his chair. He really didn't want to make an appearance at dinner and have his parents yell at him again. But it would be worse to postpone any further yelling, as that would only make it worse.

He made a detour to the bureau to retrieve his flute and left his room. Piper wound his way through the castle to the large dining room, each step feeling like he was walking through thick mud. It was the family's first dinner without the cheerful, energetic comments from Fiona.

His father had told him they would discuss the topic of his birthday at dinner. A conversation he wasn't too anxious to have. But he plastered a smile on his face and walked into the dining room. His parents already sat at the long table, Harold ruling at the head with Lillian at his right hand. Piper's chair was to his father's left. Fiona usually sat next to their mother.

Piper kept the smile on his face as his gaze lit on the empty chair next to his mother, hiding his sadness. He pulled his chair from under the table and sat, lifted his flute to his lips, and played a greeting. "Good evening, mother. Father."

"Good evening, son." His mother replied.

Harold's fingers were steepled in front of his face, and he nodded to Piper. "Son."

Piper's gaze drifted to the empty seat to Lillian's right. His mother followed his gaze. "Piper." She said, drawing his attention back to her. "We would like to talk about your birthday."

Piper hastily played his answer, "What would you like to talk about?"

Harold cleared his throat, drawing Piper's attention to him. "We were hoping you would assist in planning the event."

Piper balked. His mother and sister always took charge of events. He answered quickly. "I'd rather Mother organize it." He lowered his flute and waited for his parents to say something.

Lillian looked at him, and then at his father, and then back at Piper. "Are you sure, son?" She asked.

Piper nodded.

Harold looked at Piper as well, his face unreadable. Then he nodded. "Very well."

Piper heaved a silent breath and relaxed. Then tensed when he remembered that his parents were going to begin preparing him to rule as soon as he turned eighteen. Which was only three days away. He wasn't ready to take the crown. He wasn't ready for the obligation. He wasn't ready to rule.

He wasn't ready for any of it.

* * *

Piper stood at the top of the flight of stairs leading down to the castle's ballroom. Dressed in a white tunic and cape with intricate designs sewn into the material with gold thread, a gold belt at his waist, gold hose, and white boots, he felt more like the prince of Far Far Away than he had since Fiona left. If only he hadn't taken so long to find the jeweled coronet that wrapped around his head. He also wore the necklace Fiona had given him, the thin silver disk shining against the white and gold of his tunic.

He looked down at the guests milling around the huge room, his grip tightening on the flute behind his back. He swallowed as the music stopped and a man announced him. "Presenting: His Royal Highness, Prince Piper."

Piper forced a regal smile to his taut mouth and walked down the flight of stairs as hundreds of pairs of eyes watched his descent. The crowd of well-wishers bowed and curtsied to him as he walked to the dais where three, there had been four until Fiona had been sent away, thrones stood. He walked up the set of steps to the throne at his father's left hand and sat. He rested his flute in his lap and placing his arms on the armrests at his sides.

The music resumed and couples began dancing. Piper looked around the room, not focusing on anything or anyone. He turned to his parents and swallowed when he saw his father looking at him expectantly. "Son, go dance, enjoy yourself. Do not stay here with us all night."

Piper was about to decline when one of the guests, a girl of about sixteen years, with red hair and freckles, stepped up to the dais and curtsied to the three of them. "Your Majesties. Your Highness."

Piper nodded to the girl. His parents responded in turn.

The girl turned to Piper. "Your Highness, I wonder if I might trouble you for a dance." She shuffled her slippered feet under her light blue skirt.

Piper looked at the girl like she'd grown another head, then lifted his flute and replied, "No. I'm perfectly fine right here."

"Oh." The girl said quietly. "Alright." She turned away.

"Young lady." Piper's mother said.

The girl stopped and turned back to face them, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

Piper's mother stood and turned to him, her hands on her hips. "Piper. One dance will not kill you." She said sternly.

Piper swallowed the lump in his throat. He wouldn't win this battle with his mother. She had "the look" on her face. The look that said arguing was pointless. He sighed and nodded reluctantly to his mother, then stood and placed his flute on the cushion next to his throne. He walked stiffly down the steps of the dais and held out his hand to the girl, who took it and followed him to the center of the floor.

"I'm Lady Sophia, by the way." She said as the music started.

Piper nodded, wanting to get the dance over with.

He didn't want any attention on him and this girl, who seemed oblivious to everything around her. She chattered on like a magpie. And Piper focused on the wall over her head, which only reached his shoulder.

Finally, the song ended and he was able to release her. She curtsied and Piper forced a bow, then turned and walked back to the dais, and sat heavily in his chair. He couldn't be more grateful that the ordeal was over. He picked up his flute and held the instrument in his hands, absently running his thumb over the keys.

His father looked at him and turned to his mother, then touched his shoulder. "Piper. Is everything alright?"

Piper raised his flute to his mouth and played, "I'm fine."

His father smiled and stood, holding out his hand to his wife. "Darling, might I have a dance?"

Piper's mother smiled and placed her palm on her husband's, letting him lead her out into the crowd. Piper was now alone on the dais, and that was fine with him. He watched the couples spinning around the floor and touched the disk of silver resting against his chest, feeling the uneven texture and remembering Fiona's excitement when he'd opened the bag it had been in.

He watched the couples and turned when a blonde girl in white walked up to the steps and cleared her throat. "Your Highness." She curtsied.

Piper inclined his head.

"Might I trouble you for a dance?" She asked quietly.

He really didn't want to. But, reluctantly, he nodded and stood. Piper held out his hand and flinched when the girl's palm touched his. Good Lord, her hands were as cold as ice. He stiffly guided the girl through the dance, wincing when she stepped hard on his foot.

"Oh, I'm sorry Your Highness." The girl said anxiously, stepping back.

Piper forced a taut smile and bore the painful throbbing in his toe. It's almost over. Almost over. He repeated in his mind.

Finally, the dance was over and he hobbled to the dais, up the steps, and sat down heavily. His parents had returned to their own seats and had been watching him and the girl.

"That was quite a spectacle, son." His father said with a laugh.

Piper gritted his teeth.

Harold saw Piper's face and sobered. "Are you alright?" He asked, pointing to Piper's foot.

He nodded, then shrugged.

Lillian stood and walked up to Piper. "Can you walk?"

Piper nodded.

"Good. Then go have fun. It's your birthday celebration. Go find someone to talk to."

Piper picked up his flute and smiled indulgently at his mother. He stood and left the dais. The minute he entered the crowd, a group of twittering girls descended on him like flies to honey. And he was sucked into a never-ending question and answer session.


	3. Chapter 3

It was quite some time before Piper finally extricated himself from the group of tittering girls, his patience nearly gone. He trudged through the ballroom, stopping frequently when someone or other introduced him to so and so. He was passing the French doors that led off to a balcony overlooking the garden when he heard the most beautiful voice, singing softly.

Detouring out onto the balcony, Piper saw the first girl he'd danced with, the redhead. He tried to recall her name, but the vast multitude of introductions he'd endured the past few hours caused the girl's name to escape him. Approaching her, he lifted his flute and played: "May I join you?"

The girl jumped at the sound of his flute and turned to face him in embarrassment. "Your Highness." She said quietly and dipped a curtsy. "Forgive me; I was getting a breath of fresh air. It's terribly stuffy inside."

Piper nodded, and then walked up to the railing, standing at the girl's right side. "It's a beautiful night, don't you agree Lady -."

"Sarah." She supplied, her cheeks turning a pretty shade of pink. "What's brought you outside, Your Highness?"

Piper replied through his instrument: "I heard you singing."

Sarah's blush deepened. "I apologize, Your Highness, I shouldn't have been singing."

Piper answered quickly: "But you sing beautifully. It reminds me of my sister."

"Princess Fiona," Sarah concluded.

"Yes, I don't have any other siblings. And I miss her terribly." He leaned his elbows on the top of the wide railing and held his flute in front of him, making a show of examining it.

Sarah sensed his distress and spoke quietly. "Would you like me to leave you in peace?"

Piper shook his head and made a split second decision. "Would you care to dance again?" He wasn't sure how or why, but Lady Sarah's singing was beginning to attract him to her. Even if they barely knew each other.

Sarah smiled shyly. "I would be delighted."

He played a quick warning. "I'm afraid I won't be able to dance and play at the same time. So your questions will have to be either yes or no."

Sarah nodded and Piper separated and put away his flute, then offered her his arm. She wrapped her palm into the crook of his elbow and he led her back into the ballroom as a waltz was beginning.

The first strains of the music seemed to mesmerize Sarah, until she asked a simple question,

"Are you enjoying the celebration?"

Piper thought for a second, watching her eyes, then nodded.

She smiled. "I'm sure you have been wondering at my age."

Piper nodded again.

"I'm three months away from my own eighteenth birthday. And my mother, who's a widow, is counting down the days until I marry advantageously and leave home."

 _My parents want me to become king. And I am sure that they also want me to choose a wife._ Piper thought, wishing he could speak and tell Sarah what he was thinking. _You are very beautiful, Lady Sarah. I am sure you would make any man happy as a wife._

Sarah was looking at him as though she would see his thoughts. "I miss my father very much. He was always finding ways to make myself and my four sisters happy. I'm the second child, and I have four sisters. My mother had my older sister, Sara, first. Then I came into the world. After I was born, my mother gave birth to twins, Seraphina and Sordia, and then came Sebastiana."

Piper listened with growing interest. When Sarah stopped talking, he inclined his head twice, wanting to tell her to say more. There had been times in his life that Piper wished he hadn't been born a mute. And this was one of those times. He couldn't carry on a conversation with the lovely woman in his arms. And it grated on his nerves that she had to do all of the talking and he was unable to answer and ask questions.

He wanted so much to speak, to ask her the questions that swirled through his mind. _What are your sisters like? What do you like to do during the day? How long ago did your father die?_

Sarah didn't seem to need much encouragement to continue speaking, as she added. "My older sister is twenty-one years old and recently married. We have all been charged to marry well. But my youngest sister is too much of a flirt to understand the meaning of marrying well. Sebastiana seems to be of the belief that she must have several male companions at one time." She pointed across the room, to the right and said: "That is her, in the corner. As you can see she has several men attending her."

Piper followed the line of her finger and saw a young girl of what looked like fourteen years, holding court in the corner, surrounded by men. He gritted his teeth when he saw that one of those men was the man who was supposed to break Fiona's curse.

Then again, Prince Charming was a well-known gentleman-of-the-ladies. He was only fifteen years of age. But still, he should be preparing himself to save Piper's little sister from the dragon's keep. Not flirt with a woman who was not his intended. The match of Fiona and Charming had been made when Fiona's curse was first discovered. Fairy Godmother informed them that her son was to be the one to break it, and yet, Fiona didn't know that she was intended for a man such as Charming. His face was supposedly carved by angels.

Piper had never liked Charming. Something about the man infuriated him. He didn't know what. But it was there. He tore his gaze from the group in the corner and returned it to Lady Sarah. She was once again looking at him in contemplation. "Is everything alright?"

Piper forced a smile and nod. Then listened as Lady Sarah continued. "My other three sisters are much more modest than Sebastiana. Seraphina and Sordia are almost too shy. This saddens my mother as she is beginning to believe that only Sara and I will be the ones to marry." She took a breath and took a half step closer so she could whisper. "I think she only wishes us to marry so she does not have to care for us anymore."

Piper laughed quietly at the statement. He heard the last strains of the waltz and with seeming reluctance, released Lady Sarah. He, however, didn't want to end their conversation. He dearly enjoyed hearing her voice.

He offered his arm and sucked in a breath as the heat of her palm burned through the material of his tunic. Piper led her back out onto the balcony and removed his flute from his belt, clicked the pieces together, and gratefully played the question he'd been wanting to ask. "When the evening ends and we part ways, might I write to you, Lady Sarah?"

Sarah blushed, "Of course, Your Highness."

"Please, call me Piper," Piper said through his flute.

"Very well, Piper." She smiled, and turned to rest her palms on the top edge of the railing, and looked down at the garden.

She suddenly looked saddened, and Piper once again wished he was able to speak. So he could ask her what was wrong.

Piper imitated her stance and, with his flute in his left hand, rested his right hand on top of hers. He didn't know why he was holding her hand, but he didn't want to let go. Not yet. Sarah flinched when his palm touched hers, and looked up at him with a mix of astonishment and embarrassment on her face. She blushed prettily again, she seemed to be doing a lot of blushing, and then looked away.

She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by a chuckle behind them. Piper quickly released her hand and moved away a step, forcing a regal smile to his lips. They turned around in unison, and Piper's smile instantly disappeared.

Prince Charming stood in the doorway, a smug expression on his carved-by-angels face "Well, well, well, Prince Piper and Lady Sarah. Looking very cozy. Won't your parents be thrilled?" He said in mock enjoyment. "Of course, if I were the prince, I would have chosen a more –," He scanned Sarah from head to toe, "beautiful companion."

Piper took a step toward him, fully intending to do something very un-princely, but stopped when Sarah placed a hand on his arm. She addressed Charming in a cold tone, "That's none of your business, Charming. What the prince does with his time is no concern of yours. No one cares what you think either way. Now go away, before Piper has you removed."

Charming scoffed. "His Royal Highness, a mute, having me ordered out of the castle. Highly unlikely. Especially considering that I'm to rescue his beloved sister and marry her."

With those words, Piper's control slipped another notch. He would rather Fiona marry an ogre than this pompous peacock. Sarah came to his aid, giving voice to his thoughts. "I think Fiona would rather marry an ogre than you. You're too much of a strutting peacock to be taken seriously."

Charming's face reddened at the jab, and he said in an angry tone. "I will be a prince of Far Far Away. And I will become king after your father's death. Not you, useless mute."

Piper really wanted to mess up the perfect face of this man with a broken and bloody nose. Or maybe a black eye. But he didn't get the chance to execute either, as Charming turned sharply on his heel and marched back into the ballroom.

Sarah breathed an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe Fiona is supposed to be rescued by that man."

Piper nodded, and then raised his flute to his lips: "I can't explain it. But I don't think she'll be rescued by him."

Sarah looked at him, startled. "Who do you think will rescue her then?"

Piper shrugged, then played: "I have no idea. But it won't be him."

They looked at each other, and then Sarah broke out into a fit of giggles. And her laughter was so contagious, that Piper quickly joined in. When they sobered, she said, "You're a wonderful dancer, Piper."

"As are you," Piper answered through his flute.

"Shall we go back inside?" Sarah asked.

"Let's," Piper replied.

They walked back into the ballroom, and Piper reluctantly parted ways with her as he looked at the dais and saw his mother gesturing to him. He took her hand and raised it to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.

"I'll write to you as soon as possible, Piper," Sarah said with a curtsy.

Piper bowed and turned to the dais and his parents. Whatever they wanted, from their faces, it had something to do with Lady Sarah. What it was, he didn't know. And he wasn't in a hurry to find out.


End file.
